


A Tale Within A Tale

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Damar Series - Robin McKinley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-22
Updated: 2005-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 07:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1637930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Our people have many stories, the most famous of which focus upon the Lady Aerin. But there are tales within tales that are rarely told.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tale Within A Tale

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Temaris

 

 

Our people have many stories, the most famous of which focus upon the Lady Aerin. But there are tales within tales that are rarely told.

Here is one of them.

***

A little girl is deathly ill.

The healers think the awakening of the kelar within her is too strong for her body. Such strength she possesses as has not been seen for many generations. There are some who begin to whisper that she is not the king's daughter in truth but was sent to him in a dream. Her strength is failing because she has been too long from Dreamland.

The little girl has been sleeping for many days. Everyday her father comes to visit her, to read her a story and to coax her from her slumber.

The king approaches the bedside and looks down on the sleeping face of his youngest daughter. He smoothes the curls from her face and gently kisses her forehead. He retreats to the chair in the corner and picks up the well-worn book from the seat. Sitting down, he opens the book to the creased page and then sighs. Shutting the book he says, "I fear my child that today I am weary of Aerin stories. Perhaps I shall instead tell you of how the dindelof bug created the birgsh flower or how King Maeen's tears gave birth to all the lakes in the land." He glanced up at the little girl to see if there had been any moment. "Very well, I shall give you an Aerin story. I just think you might like it more if you were to awaken. It's been five days my child and you've not moved once. Make your Papa happy and open your eyes."

The little girl does not move.

The king reopens his book, "Sit child and listen to the story of Aerin as told by many others; her king, her maid, her hunting cats, her stallion and her sword, for these are the people who knew Aerin-sol the best."

***

_Hello._

Hello.

Am I very sick? The little girl asks matter-of-factly.

Aerin nods slowly, I'm sorry dear heart but you are. The kelar fights in you like it did in me.

*You* had troubles with the gift? The little girl asks in disbelief. She doesn't question who she is talking to. Even though Aerin's time is many generations past, her likeness is still circulated throughout the kingdom.

I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm not nearly as perfect as people remember me being. I ran away from home, I disobeyed my king and I never darned my socks half as well as Teka said I should have.

I can't darn my socks either, the little girl said with a shy grin.

See! Now we're so much more alike. Enough of this being shy, Aerin gestures for the girl to come near her. I don't suppose you feel like telling me why we're here?

The little girl takes in the surroundings for the first time. It's no place she's ever been and at the same time intimately familiar. My father tells me many stories about this place; this is how I've imagined it. I fell asleep I guess and ended up here. But I don't really know why you're here. Unless I'm imagining you too?

Aerin grinned. Nope. I'm just as real as you are. Your dream called to me rather insistently. Can I ask you why you are dreaming?

The little girl ducked her head and said with shame, I fell asleep. My kelar is dangerous or that's what the healers think. They think my kelar keeps me from being like everyone else. But I want to be like everyone else! I want a pony and a hunting cat and a sword and to be just like you someday!

Aerin snorted.

I DO!

Easy child, I didn't mean to offend. Aerin crosses her hands across her chest, I was amused because your list sounds very like one that I made when I was close to your age. Although we didn't have hunting cats yet so I couldn't ask for one. And truthfully I didn't ask for the ones I got they all just sort of showed up and wouldn't leave.

The little girl grinned. My father says that about me when I interrupt the war meetings. I think he's happy that I'm there even if he doesn't know what to do with me.

A burst of laughter escapes from Aerin. We are definitely very much alike! She looks appraisingly at the little girl. Your kelar is strong indeed. Your healers are wise to be worried. It has been four generations since someone's call was strong enough for me to hear and ten since I have answered. Her call was much like yours.

What happened to her? The little girl asked slightly frightened.

She fell sick much like you did and slept for twelve days. Aerin leans down, on the same level as the little girl. But when she awoke her father was so happy that he got her a pony *and* a hunting cat *and* a sword.

Really?

Aerin nodded. Now it's your turn to wake up. Be sure to tell your father that he is very blessed to have you. Aerin kissed the little girl on either cheek. She backed away and suddenly there was a tall man beside her.

Is she ready?

I think so, Aerin said with a wink. She'll join us later Luthe, but her time is not now.

And as the little girl pondered these words she saw the image of Aerin leaning into Luthe's embrace fade away. She rubbed her eyes and when she opened them she saw her father was sitting in the chair in the corner of her room. His head was slumped over as though he had fallen asleep. The little girl walked across the room and climbed into his lap. This time when the dreams claimed her they were not as deep or as dangerous.

Many years later when the little girl was all grown up with little girls of her own, she would read to them stories of Aerin and Tor the Just and the hunting cats and swords of power and once she told them a story of a little girl who met Aerin.

And that is how a tale within a tale is told.

 


End file.
